Dadan strode through the forest and all of nature quaked at the look in his eyes. The ground beneath him seemed to tremble and the leaves in the trees trembled as he passed. A faint heat radiated from his person as he reached the Tianfeld and journeyed across the desolation. A few sparse sprigs of green grass had popped up since their fight and a few saplings dared peek their heads out from between the rocky cracks.

  But none of this mattered to Dadan. His focus lay completely on the borderlands ahead of him. He was about thirty yards from the edge of the line of brush when the plants rattled. Two dozen wolf sentinels stood from their hiding spots. They all wore a sword and short sword on their hips, and a few grasped long spears in their hands.

  One of them stepped forward. “Stop right there, Lord Eastwei.”

  Eastwei did as the wolf asked but he narrowed his glowing red eyes at the shifter. “Step aside.”

  The wolf shook his head. “I can’t let you do that until you tell me why you’re here.”

  “I have come for the woman.”

  A murmur arose from the men and their leader smirked at Eastwei. “You’ve come to make all this fuss over a woman? How low has the great Lord Eastwei fallen that he-”

  The wolf didn’t even see Eastwei’s hand flicker until it was too late. Eastwei twitched his wrist and sent a hot fireball at him. The ball slammed into his stomach and sent him flying backward several yards into the pack of wolves. Several leaped to his aid, especially as the front of his clothes were on fire. They put out the flames and sat the man up. He had a dazed and sickly expression on his pale face, and he sputtered out a few flakes of blood.

  “We need to get you out of here,” one of the men spoke up.

  The leader shoved him away and his orange eyes glared at Eastwei. “To all the hells with you! I won’t be dragged away because of some love-sick pup!”

  Eastwei’s eyes glowed brighter and he turned his hands so both palms faced the men. Fireballs burst out of his palms and the heat that radiated off them caused the grass around Eastwei to wilt. Those in the lead took a few shaky steps backward while those in the rear looked to their fallen leader for guidance.

  “B-Boss?” one of them stuttered.

  ‘Boss’ climbed to his feet with the aid of a few of his men and sneered at their uninvited guest. “Go back to the heavens and your soft couch! We’ll deal with the trouble down here!”

  “You’ll keep your mouth shut or there’ll be more trouble for you.” The command came from behind the wolf leader.

  The men whipped their heads around and more than one face showed relief as King Wearg strode through the brush toward them. A few of the guards scurried behind their king as Wearg traipsed to the border and stopped thirty feet from where Eastwei stood.

  “What brings you here, Lord Eastwei?” Wearg called out to his ‘guest.’

  “Bring the woman out,” Eastwei commanded him.

  Wearg folded his arms over his chest and cocked his head to one side. “The woman? Have you taken a liking to that silver-haired vixen, Lord Eastwei?” An emotion flickered across Eastwei’s eyes. Wearg lifted an eyebrow and a crooked smile slipped onto his lips. “Don’t tell me you’re the one she’s hiding from. What has she done? Has she killed your favorite shade tree and you have yet to learn about it?”

  Eastwei’s fingers twitched. “Bring her out.”

  The wolf king’s good humor faded. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. We’re going to use that healing power of hers to figure out who attacked our villages, and then we’ll get the bastards who did it.”

  A cheer arose from the men around him.

  “Hear hear!”

  “We’ll get those that got us!”

  “We won’t leave a single one of them standing!”

  Wearg nodded at his men. “My people are willing to stand against you if you stand in the way of our vengeance. Some of them lost families to those monsters and the rest of us won’t let anyone else suffer like that. Not without some retribution.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Then you refuse me?” Eastwei questioned him.

  Wearg dropped his arms and settled a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Completely.”

  Eastwei’s reply was to turn up the heat in his hands. The fiery balls scorched the very air and the closest bushes burst into flames. The fire lord took a step forward and the wolves responded by drawing their weapons. Some even sported gray and brown beards as fur sprouted all over their bodies.

  “Eastwei!”

  The shout came from the Tianfeld where Dadan’s friend and acquaintances hurried toward him. Yushir was in the lead puffing away at the excursion but he managed to gather enough wind to look regal as he stopped at his friend’s side.

  The prince clapped a hand on Eastwei’s shoulder, as much to balance himself as to stop him. “Allay your fury, my friend, at least until we resolve to learn their intentions.”

  “Our intention is to confront the faceless foe who’s attacking everyone and make them pay!” Wearg shouted at him.

  Yushir frowned at the wolf king. “Then you will find nothing but your own demise. Lord Eastwei has faced off against one of the village attackers and was barely able to defeat it.”

  Wearg narrowed his eyes at the fiery lord. “You faced him? What did he look like?”

  “Like nothing you have ever faced,” Eastwei answered as his eyes flickered over Wearg’s shoulder. “Now release the woman.”

  The wolf curled his lips back in a sneer. “So you give me an enigmatic reply and expect me to release her? Do you take me for a fool?”

  Yushir frowned at the impertinent king. “We take you for someone who does not wish to cause unnecessary harm to your people or your kingdom.”

  “Your words fall on deaf ears,” Pangberan spoke up as he marched to the head of their company. “These dogs will only listen to one thing, and that’s battle.”

  A grin curled onto Wearg’s lips. “That’s some fine words coming from a foraging animal.”

  “I won’t waste words on you,” Pangberan countered as he lifted his chin. “I challenge you to combat by shifter. The one last one standing will be the victor and win his prize.”

  “You can’t be serious, Father!” Dian spoke up as he raced to his parent’s side and grasped his arm. “You can’t challenge him to a fight! Not over this! She wouldn’t want it!”

  “What she wants is no longer what matters,” Pangberan countered without taking his eyes off his foe. “The wolves dared to invite themselves to our festival and steal away my guest under the guise of ‘friendship.’ Their accord was nothing more than a ruse to snatch what they desired, and now presented with their heinous crime, they do nothing but stand there and boast about using the woman to their own ends.”

  “We’ll be avenging everyone who’s been attacked by these faceless fiends!” Wearg countered.

  Pangberan scoffed. “You’re nothing but a bunch of bloodthirsty dogs intent on bringing everything to ruin.”

  “Your Majesties!” Yushir shouted as he stepped between the two parties and held up a hand to each of them. “Please reconsider this matter! You have held the truce for fifty thousand years! Will they now be wasted on a misunderstanding?”

  Wearg scoffed as he kept his attention focused on Pangberan. “There’s no misunderstanding. The fleabag wants a battle and I accept that offer.”

  Eastwei narrowed his eyes and made to take a step forward, but a heavy hand clapped down on his shoulder. He turned his head and found himself staring into the wizened old face of Lord Lujun. The general met his gaze and shook his head. “Don’t do it, My Lord. You’ll be causing more trouble than she would want.”

  Eastwei frowned and lifted his chin. “You profess to speak on her behalf?”

  A faint smile graced the general’s lips. “I don’t profess anything, My Lord, but I saw the look in her eyes when I was talking to her alone. She cares for people, no matter who they are. She wouldn’t want you going and hurting them just to get her out of trouble. I think she’d have trouble forgiving you, but she’d have even more trouble forgiving herself for being the cause of it all. That’s why you have to let these two fools settle it themselves. Two bloodied kings is a sight better than two bloodied armies.”

  The sharp glint in Eastwei’s eyes showed he wasn’t pleased but he closed his hands into fists. The fire was extinguished. At least for now.”

  “When will you fight me, Pangberan?” Wearg questioned the other royal.

  “No,” Pangberan told him as he removed his sword belt and offered it to his son. Dian reluctantly accepted the weapon.

  Wearg closed his eyes and chuckled. “Isn’t that a little soon? We don’t even have a judge yet. What if you were to cheat?”

  “Lord Eastwei is here,” Pangberan pointed out.

  Wearg scoffed at the fiery former emperor. “I wouldn’t take his word for it.” He returned his focus to the other royal and a pensive expression slipped onto his face. “What do you say to having old Wyrmir? There’s no one more indifferent to the world than that snake.”

  Pangberan pursed his lips. “That would depend on when he can be fetched.”

  “Immediately, and his ancient power allows him to travel faster than most immortals, even those in the heavens.” He used a finger to beckon to one of his men. The man hurried forward and Wearg leaned toward him. “Have our fastest messenger send word to Wyrmir that he’s needed for his fair judgment and to come as fast as he can to the Sanctuary.”

  The soldier nodded and raced into the brush. A wolf soon emerged and howled before dashing out of sight to deliver the urgent message.